(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shock-absorbing device for a human body. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shock-absorbing device for a human body which can reduce an impact on the human body when a person falls.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An aged person, a handicapped person who experiences serious aftereffects of a disease or injury, and a person who has a danger of an injury from a fall due to various recreation and sports or dangerous work environments may be subject to a bone fracture or a serious bruise due to an excessive load applied to a portion of the human body. For example, when a person falls, the hipbone or hip joint of the person can be injured due to a very great impact on the human body. Particularly, if a hip joint in which nerves and blood vessels are densely distributed is injured, it is very difficult to heal the injury. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a device capable of absorbing an impact applied to the human body in case of emergency because the above-described persons can be subject to serious stress disorders or can die when an excessive load is applied to the human body.
As conventional shock-absorbing techniques, a passive method of applying a shock-absorbing pad to a portion where an impact can be expected to occur, and an active method of wearing a fall detection sensor, detecting a fall using the sensor, and actuating an airbag, have been developed. Products using the existing techniques, however, are inconvenient to wear and are not particularly effective in shock-absorbing performance for the human body. Furthermore, the existing products are not efficacious because they do not properly detect falls even when the falls actually occur.